Day Trip: Deer-Spotting in Knole Park
It’s a new week and time for a new adventure in Knole Park for some deer-spotting!
We have been heading out to Kent a lot recently for family days out with Lady Yeya since it is an easy train journey from southeast London. This week we visited the beautiful Knole Park in Sevenoaks, Kent. With the long summer days closing in on us, it’s time to get out of London and enjoy the great outdoors before the temperature starts dropping.
Donning our comfortable walking shoes, we were excited for our visit to Knole Park with our beloved Shihpoo dog Buddy. The main entrance is just off of High Street which is great if you want to pick up a few picnic items and cold drinks at the local Waitrose. Upon arriving at Knole Park, we immediately saw a herd of deers grazing freely on the open meadow. This 400-year-old medieval deer park is home to some 300 wild Fallow and Sika deer. The most visible ones within Knole Park are the “classic” brown and white spot Fallow herd and they are indeed everywhere! You don’t have to look very far to find these beautiful ruminant creatures.
Knole House: 600 years of History
We made our way towards Knole House where we admired the beautifully preserved Jacobean architecture from the two interior courtyards. Built in 1456, this country manor house was formerly occupied by Archbishop of Canterbury and was also a temporary home for King Henry VIII’s daughter Mary during his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Lady Yeya was thrilled to see what she called a “big castle” where queens and kings lived. Not quite a castle, but indeed Knole House is an important part of medieval England.
My little family and I stopped for a quick lunch in a designated picnic area near the Brewhouse Cafe. We then continued on our walk around this expansive parkland comprising over 1,000 acres of beautiful parkland. The entire Knole Park consists of a network of buggy-friendly paved pathways, which is perfect for us as Lady Yeya is such a stroller-kid. We did a 4-mile circular route via the golf course taking in the tranquil and peaceful environment. Because Knole Park is so massive with various paths leading to different parts of the park, you hardly run into other visitors. Lady Yeya enjoyed it so much that she actually fell into a deep slumber towards the end of our walk through this ancient woodland.
It was a lovely family day out getting our steps count whilst taking in some fresh country air. There is so much more to explore within and nearby Knole Park such as the Riverhill Himalayan Gardens and Ightham Mote. We definitely look forward to more future visits to Knole Park, especially during the autumn season to see the foliage change colours to hues of red and orange which is just around the corner. For now, we’ll enjoy the last bits of the great British summer.
Nearest Station: London Charing Cross on Southeastern Train (32 to 55 minutes depending on the train) or London Blackfriars (69 minutes) on Thameslink to Sevenoaks. From Sevenoaks train station, it is about a mile walk via the High Street to the main gates of Knole Park.
